hayseed

American  

[hey-seed] / ˈheɪˌsid /

noun

1. grass seed, especially that shaken out of hay.

2. small bits of the chaff, straw, etc., of hay.

3. an unsophisticated person from a rural area; yokel; hick.

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hayseed British  

/ ˈheɪˌsiːd /

noun

1. seeds or fragments of grass or straw

2. informal  a yokel

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Etymology

Origin of hayseed

First recorded in 1570–80; hay + seed

Example Sentences

The hayseed county that begat Richard Nixon and the boysenberry also bestowed the Righteous Brothers’ “blue-eyed soul” and the drive-in church upon the world.

From Los Angeles Times

I, on the other hand, remain a philistine and a hayseed.

From Washington Post

As a result, the gullible hayseeds of Zaks’s River City just have to sort of fall in line behind him.

From Washington Post

“At a certain point you’re going to ask yourself, ‘Why are you in favor of lower taxes and less regulations so they can call us bigots and hayseeds and deplorables and tell lies about us?’”

From Los Angeles Times

He chose his favored venue of the Aspen Ideas festival, where his transfixing hayseed act has been a perennial marquee attraction.

From The Guardian

Related Words

• boor